


Pinky Promise

by sepsner



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternative Canon, Just boys being soft, M/M, Oneshot, stutters week 2018, they're ten let them be cute, unedited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-22 05:23:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16591634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sepsner/pseuds/sepsner
Summary: Stan knows that he's a downer, but Butters thinks otherwise.





	Pinky Promise

**Author's Note:**

> Written as part of NaNo /and/ Stutters Week! I may edit this later.

Stan’s 10th birthday was the worst day of his life. It felt like everything that he once liked was turning on him - movies no longer made him laugh, music no longer made him feel the urge to sing along, video games no longer made him want to punch the air in joy when he wins. The boys no longer made him feel welcome. _Kyle_ no longer made him feel welcome.  
  
He found himself eating lunch by himself. He spent his days inside, alone, stuck with just himself. No one asked him to come and play, and he didn’t want to inflict himself on anyone. Stan _knew_ he was a downer.  
  
Which is why, during one lunch, Stan was confused when Butters came and sat with him.  
  
Stan had lunch alone, usually, or he would sit at the end of a table while a small group sat at the other end. They wouldn’t talk. But now, Butters sat directly across from him, smiling like he wanted to say something. Had Butters not heard that Stan was super depressing now?  
  
“Well, hey, Stan,” Butters smiled.  
  
It was the first time anyone had spoken to Stan in a while. “Hey.”  
  
“I saw you sitting here all lonely,” Butters explained, “so I figured, well, why don’t I go sit with Stan?”  
  
Stan glanced over at Kyle’s table. There was a space free - so it wasn’t that the others pushed him out and Butters was _forced_ to sit here. He actually _wanted_ to. Butters was dumb.  
  
“I guess,” Stan mumbled and shrugged. Butters must have taken that as a _sure, I’d appreciate and enjoy your company if you sat with me_ , because he suddenly gave Stan a massive grin.  
  
“So how have you been?” Butters started, poking at his food. “The fellas told me that-”  
  
“Whatever they said, it was true.”  
  
Butters seemed to have been taken aback. “Are you sure?”  
  
“Well, what have they said?”  
  
The blond frowned. “That, er, you’re depressing to be around and you sap the life out of every good thing.”  
  
Oh. Stan knew it was true, but he didn’t want to be _told_ it. Now it just solidified it, rather than just being anxieties in Stan’s head. This just made him feel _worse_. “Yeah. That’s right.”  
  
Butters frowned. “Well, I’m sure that’s not true! I bet you’re still fun!”  
  
“You wouldn’t know, you don’t hang out with me.”  
  
Butters suddenly pouted, as if he was getting wound up. “They haven’t hung out with you very much, either, so how would they know?”  
  
Stan blinked. “Is that why you’re here? To see if I’m still a downer?”  
  
“No!” Butters shook his head. “No! I wanna be friends with you again, Stan!”  
  
Stan’s mouth opened, wanting to say something. All he could muster was, “why?”  
  
“Well,” Butters rubbed his knuckles together. “You’re a nice fella, kind to people and to animals. I like being around you. No…” Butters shook his head. “I like you!”  
  
Oh, man, that was really cute. Stan bowed his head, trying to hide his face, which was heating up. He knew what Butters meant - he liked Stan as a friend. But part of him wanted Butters to have meant something _else_.  
  
“You’ll find out I’m a downer,” Stan mumbled. “And then you’ll stop wanting to hang out with me.”  
  
Stan hadn’t expected Butters to suddenly reach out across the table and grab his hands.  
  
“I won’t!” Butters squeezed, making Stan’s heart beat faster. “If you’re being a downer, then I’ll cheer you up! Being alone ain’t fun, and it ain’t gonna help you feel any better! Only being around friends’ll do that!”  
  
“But-”  
  
“Butts are for poopin’!”  
  
“You’ll get sick of me eventually-”  
  
Butters frowned, his eyebrows furrowed. “I promise,” he huffed, squeezing Stan’s hands even tighter. “I promise I’ll never leave you. There’ll always be something we can do to cheer you up!”  
  
Stan swallowed. He really shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up, but… he nodded. “You promise?”  
  
Butters stuck out his pinky at Stan, smiling. “Pinky promise.”  
  
Taking a deep breath, Stan linked their fingers together. Maybe Butters would break his promise, eventually. Maybe Stan was just that annoying. Maybe Stan would be the one to push him away. But, deep down, part of Stan felt warm and fuzzy from this small action. Butters was a good guy, Stan knew this. Butters was a good _friend_. And now, Stan didn’t have to be alone.


End file.
